The New York Mets are almost definitely heading into the trade deadline as sellers, and acting general manager John Ricco is willing to listen on his pair of aces.
"Those are two huge pieces for us," Ricco told Kristie Ackert of The New York Daily News when asked about Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard. "And we'll have to consider ... for me, everything has to be on the table, but you gotta look long and hard before you move game-changing, top of the rotation pitchers like that."
Ricco stepped into the GM role after Sandy Alderson announced he would require a leave of absence to treat a recurrence of cancer. Prior to temporarily stepping down, Alderson joked that acquiring one of deGrom or Syndergaard would cost all of a team's top 20 prospects.
For the Mets, dealing deGrom or Syndergaard - regardless of their spot in the standings - isn't particularly pressing. The 30-year-old deGrom is under team control for two more seasons, while the 25-year-old Syndergaard is arbitration-eligible through the 2021 campaign.
Through 16 starts this season, deGrom owns a sterling 1.69 ERA and 2.14 FIP - the best rates of his already impressive career.
Meanwhile, an injury-shortened campaign has held Syndergaard to 11 starts. The right-hander has posted a 3.06 ERA and 2.54 FIP through 64 2/3 innings, and is currently rehabbing from a finger injury.
Early in the schedule, savvy offseason moves had seemed to turn the Mets into a legitimate contender. However, the club now sits 12 1/2 games back of first place in the NL East with 32 wins - tied for the fewest in the Senior Circuit with the Miami Marlins.
